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I’d like to thank 970 WFLA’s AM Tampa Bay and their crew, Jack Harris, Tedd Webb, and Corey Dylan for reblogging I Remember Tampa yesterday. It was in May of last year that I originally posted the video on YouTube. In early June, it started skyrocketing in views after Jack mentioned it on his morning show and posted it on his blog. Since that time, it has been seen over 24,000 times, and that number has been steadily climbing every month. I’d also like to thank Dan Perez for posting it and identifying the sources of all the pictures on his wonderful Tampapix website, which is celebrating its 10 year anniversary this month. And, of course, I’d like to thank The Tampa Natives Show and its hosts, Mario Núñez, Sally Núñez, and Steve Cannella for inspiring the song through their efforts in preserving Tampa’s rich history, and for believing in my work enough to embrace I Remember Tampa as the show’s theme song. Last but not least, I’d like to thank all the fans and followers of these programs and sites for taking the time to view, comment on, and share the video. I know all this activity stems from our mutual love for this city. Something tells me that this video has only scratched the surface of potential views, and that as long as it remains archived throughout the web, future generations will gravitate towards it and keep coming back when they want to reminisce about the experiences here in Tampa.

Christmas in Tampa was special for many reasons, but perhaps the most memorable of them, for me, was the West Tampa tradition that revolved around a stretch of Braddock Street about two to three blocks long. Every year the residents would go all out in decorating their homes for the holidays. Many of the families within our community and throughout the surrounding communities would pile up in their cars at night, ride on down to Braddock Street, and slowly coast by the lit up homes, enjoying the magic that was created in the spirit of Christmas. Some would park, and just walk up and down the block, enjoying the Christmas carols ringing gently through the air, congregating with friends, and stopping in so that their kids could personally say hello to Santa, who would always make an appearance at some point during every evening leading through to the 25th of December. Those precious memories are engrained in the hearts of so many Tampa natives. It was a time of simple pleasures, and the Christmas lights on Braddock Street were as pure, simple, and pleasurable as anything I can remember.

For the past 3 years, Tampa has been the beneficiary of a unique television experience specifically designed to celebrate and preserve the city’s colorful past. Each week, The Tampa Natives Show comes into the homes of thousands of viewers, in the form of a live broadcast that features rare pictures and/or video footage pertaining to carefully selected topics that appeal to those who were either born in Tampa or who have lived here long enough to call this city Home. For the most part, these topics lead fans through an invigorating trip down memory lane–one that leaves them feeling spiritually renewed by the end of what is affectionately referred to as “the fastest 60 minutes in cable braodcast history.” The show’s hosts are Mario Núñez, “Tampa” Steve Cannella, and Sally Núñez, aka, The 15 Minute Girl. With the aid of their phone correspondent, “Hello Dory” Antinori, they invite viewers to call in and reflect on the topic of the hour. You never know who will call: from Olympic Gold Medalist Brooke Bennett to legendary meteorologist Roy Leep…even Mayor Bob Buckhorn has chimed in to praise the show’s efforts. Some of the show’s more memorable moments have featured special guests, such as former pro baseball player and manager Lou Piniella, former wrestling champion Mike Graham, and author John Cinchett. What’s more, if you happen to miss the show, or you just want to see an episode again, you can visit TNS’s website at www.tampanativesshow.com and browse through their archives. There you will find nearly every installment that’s aired since day one. It’s a wonderfully addicting experience and one that seems to be gaining momentum with each passing season. The Tampa Natives Show can be seen live, every Thusday night, at 7:00 p.m., on Brighthouse 950, Verizon 30, Comcast 20, or on the web, at TBCN.org (click “Watch Us”). To get an idea of what the show is all about, watch the video of their popular theme song, I Remember Tampa.

This particular memory of Tampa involves a gentleman that is now 100 years young. His name is Sal, and he was my first barber. About a year ago, I ran into him in a rather serendipitous manner. While working my part time job at the Home Depot in West Tampa, I noticed a man with a distressed look on his face wandering back and forth in front of my table. I asked what the matter was, and he told me that he was looking for his father, whom he’d lost track of while shopping. Come to find out, his father was Sal. I hadn’t seen him in over 40 years…I didn’t even know that he was still alive. It was such a pleasure meeting up with him again and knowing that he still remembered me. He talked about my father, who passed away in 1987, and reminded me of what a well loved man he was. Coincidentally, Sal and my father bore a striking resemblance to each other when they were younger. Even more coincindental was the fact that my father’s birthday was the following day, and with this chance meeting, I had an opportunity to remember things about him that I hadn’t thought of in years. I remembered him taking me to Sal’s barbershop, where I’d be propped up in a booster seat to get my haircut. I remembered the horseracing themed pinball machine that I’d play whenever I went to Sal’s barbershop. I also remembered the “bodega” next door, where I’d go to buy an ice cold coke while my father was getting his haircut. And lastly, I remembered Sal speaking about his son, who was a musician. I never really saw him because he was always travelling with his band. That band, which was called Mercy, would later rise to legendary heights when their song, “Love Can Make You Happy” went to #2 on the pop charts. That son, James Marvell, whom I would meet for the first time on that fateful day in May, would unknowingly strike up a converstation with someone who knew and admired his father. As we stood there, sharing stories about music along with memories about Tampa, I thought to myself, this was a meeting that was destined to take place. It was fate. And I felt blessed to be a part of it. Now, well over a year after it happened, I am happy to report that Sal is still alive and well, and I feel priviledged to be introducing this tribute to Tampa, which James Marvell wrote and recorded in honor of his parents. And the best part about it…Sal’s helping him out in the song. These are the kind of I Remember Tampa moments that are priceless…I love it!!!

I remember Tampa back in the days when there were three major networks–ABC, NBC, and CBS–and viewers had very limited choices when deciding what channel they were going to watch. Usually, the decision came down to what your favorite programs were, or what movie was showing on any given day or night. That same principle applied to the morning, afternoon, and evening news, as well. Which family of newscasters did you prefer? Who were you more inclined to let into your living room. Here in Tampa, the choice was exceptionally hard to make. The 3 local stations were WLCY Channel 10 (ABC), WFLA Channel 8 (NBC), and WTVT Channel 13 (CBS). They were all equiped with popular and talented crews, and all handled the local news with optimum professionalism. But for me, Big 13 was the one I tuned into more often than not. There was Salty Sol, Andy, Roy, Hugh, Ernie, and a host of other familiar faces bringing us news, human interest stories, event listings, sports, weather, and entertainment updates on a regular basis. You could bank on the same faces, day in and day out, for years at a time, sharing their lives with you. You trusted them. You believed in the pinpoint accuracy of every word that came out of their mouths. And even though mind boggling technical advancements like remote contols and color t.v.’s were beginning to find their way into our homes, the news was still being delivered in a simple, straight forwartd, and figuratively speaking, black and white format. No tricks…no gimmicks…we relied on solid sources and they rarely proved us wrong. Those were the days: before the flood of channels and programs offering alternative points of views on non-newsworthy items invaded the airwaves; before the gossip columns that disguise themselves as newscasts started swaying viewers to their mindless mass communications chatter; and before legitimate newcasters compromised their standards of reporting to try to recapture the markets they lost to the soothesayers. Yes, those were the days, and they won’t be back again anytime soon. But if, by chance, you’d like to momentarily revisit the past, just to get a taste of how it was back then, you’re more than welcome to do so by clicking the following link to the May 17, 2012 archived episode of the Tampa Natives Show: WTVT Big 13. There are some very rare clips and photos featured in this episode. If you happen to be from the Tampa area, you will find them very intriguing. If not, it’s still fun to watch this look back at a time when you were guaranteed to be exposed to true broadcasting professionalism, familiar faces, and news you could trust.

John F. Kennedy JFK shaking hands in Tampa, Nov. 18, 1963 at MacDill AFB – Originally posted by Tampa Natives member Joey Donovan. May be by a photographer other than Tony Zappone. Photo at Tampa Natives fan page on Facebook

Civil War Veteran Sylvanus M. Hankins Sr. with flag in a parade,1914 – Confederate soldier reunion parade in Lakeland, 50th anniversary, also celebrating the 30th anniversary of the incorporation of Lakeland. S.M. Hankins, holding flag, was the engineer on the first train through Lakeland to Tampa. Originally posted by Mark S. Hankins at Tampa Natives old group. Source is State of Florida Archives at: http://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/34071 (Mark may have been the submitter to the archives.) Photo at Tampa Natives on Facebook

River Shore drive-in restaurant, 1965, 8100 N. Florida Ave. “Good Food Is Our Specialty” Located on the north bank of the beautiful Hillsborough River and just before N. River Shore Drive, directly across Florida Avenue from the Sulphur Springs Water Tower. “Good food with a pleasant atmosphere.” This is the location now of Riverside Marine. Photo comes from the 1964 Hillsborean, HHS Yearbook. Photo at Tampa Natives fan page on Facebook

Get & Go drive in restaurant, 4801 N. Florida Ave, 1965 – GET & GO DRIVE IN, 4801 N. Florida Ave., 1965 Everybody enjoys a good hamburger and milkshake, and these highwaterin’ Hillsborough Terriers are no exception! This was the northeast corner of Fla. Ave. and Osborne. Photo comes from the 1964 Hillsborean, HHS Yearbook. Photo at Tampa Natives fan page on Facebook

Entry arch at Lois Ave. and Bay to Bay Blvd. marking the entrance to a subdivision at the 4100 block of Bay to Bay Blvd. circa 1950s – Submitted by Tampa Natives member David Fox, given to him by his stepmother Margie Bane Fox. Photo at Tampa Natives fan page on Facebook

Tampa International Airport, 1957, The Latin Fiesta group going on a goodwill trip, waiting for their plane – Photo courtesy of Angelo Rumore, submitted to Tampa Natives by Steve Cannella. Photo at Tampa Natives on Facebook

The Manrara building circa 1920s, 9th Ave. & 14th St. Originally located here was the Ybor Land Development office, a 2-storry gingerbread wood frame house built in 1887, the building in the photo became the office’s second office. It later became “Bien Publico Clinic” and later the A. A. Gonzalez Clinic. Now it is the Don Vicente Inn. Original source unknownPhoto at Tampa Natives on Facebook

Barney Bungelupper (Jerry Martin) and Hector Hambone (Jack Jarvis) at a private birthday party – Submitted by a Tampa Native member who is in the photo. Barney & Hector did private parties for hire. Photo at Tampa Natives on Facebook

A revised edition of the video for Tampa Natives Show theme song, I Remember Tampa, is available for viewing on YouTube. It is set to an accumulation of memorable photos that have been posted on Facebook. For a complete reference list on where the photos used for this video came from visit TampaPix.com. CDs and Digital Downloads now available through Reverbnation at IRememberTampa.com.
In addition, I’d like to remind you that you can remember Tampa, too, by tuning into the Tampa Natives Show, LIVE, each Thursday at 7:00 p.m. on Brighthouse 950, Verizon 30, Comcast 20, or online at TBCN.org (click “Watch Us”). You can also find your favorite episodes archived at TampaNativesShow.com.